Patient and Public Involvement & Engagement

At the Centre for Brain and Mind, NIMHANS (CBM-NIMHANS), Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) shapes how we think about research, communication, and public dialogue on mental illnesses.

Our work is informed by the understanding that knowledge in this field is produced not only through laboratories, clinics, and publications, but also through lived experience, community interaction, and everyday encounters with care and stigma. Within the Indian context of mental illness - where silence, hierarchy, and unequal access continue to influence who is heard - PPIE offers ways to engage more inclusively.

What is PPIE?

Patient and public involvement and engagement is a research practice where people with lived experience (PwLE) of health conditions (patients), their caregivers & members of the public work with scientists to shape how research is carried out..

In mental health, PPIE creates opportunities for dialogue between experiential, clinical, and research perspectives, helping to situate scientific knowledge within social, cultural, and everyday contexts.

Who can be involved?

Patients & potential patients
Family members of patients
Caregivers of patients
People who use health & social care services
People from communities & organisations who represent service users
People with lived experience, whether they’re current patients or not

How does PPIE help?

Involving patients and the public in research has multiple benefits for both researchers and those involved -

Better quality of research
More relevant research goals
Brings real-world perspective to theoretical problems
Increases accessibility to researchers and their work
Provides accountability to the public

For the public

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For researchers

To learn more about our PPIE work or to explore potential collaborations, please email us at cbm.nimhans@gmail.com

Scan the QR code in our poster to learn about different ways you can get involved. No matter how much time you can contribute, your effort will certainly make a difference.